Babyzone and Home-Start: Building Stronger Support for Families Together

Across the country, Babyzone hubs are working hand in hand with Home-Start to make sure families get the right support at the right time. These partnerships look different in each area, shaped by local needs and capacity, but they share a common goal: wrapping families in trusted, relationship-based care from pregnancy through the early years.

For many families, Babyzone provides a neutral, welcoming space where they can meet their Home-Start worker without the pressure or stigma that can sometimes come with formal referrals. It's a place where support happens naturally, through play and connection, rather than feeling like an appointment.

In Warrington, the partnership runs deep. Babyzone is delivered and staffed with Home-Start trained volunteers, and all current Babyzone volunteers are Home-Start trained, ensuring families receive consistent, relationship-based support from trusted practitioners. Home-Start maintains a strong, visible presence within Babyzone, with practitioners routinely based in the hub even when no specific session is scheduled. This strengthens continuity and makes it easier for families to access help when they need it.

Dad Matters, part of the Home-Start Warrington offer, uses Babyzone as a weekly meeting point for the fathers they support. For many families, it has become a familiar, safe environment where they can connect with their Home-Start worker, reducing anxiety and supporting sustained engagement. The partnership exemplifies what integrated delivery can look like when universal and targeted early help are aligned.

In Blackburn, Babyzone works closely with Home-Start to provide accessible support for families, with a particular focus on engaging fathers and delivering targeted early help. A Dad Matters Coordinator attends Babyzone weekly where possible, providing direct support, advice and signposting for fathers and families. The partnership is continuing to develop strategically, with Babyzone working to support collaboration between Home-Start and Public Health to deliver a borough-wide toileting programme, combining Home-Start's trusted relationships with Public Health expertise.

In Croydon, Home-Start Parent Champion volunteers run a weekly Chill 'n' Play session for families with children under two, attracting around 50 families each week. The relaxed, inclusive sessions help parents build friendships with others at a similar stage while being gently supported to access additional help when needed. Home-Start practitioners attend all Babyzone community events, strengthening visibility and making it easier for families to approach support services informally. The partnership also includes joint volunteer recruitment, creating shared pathways for parents to become peer supporters and strengthening community capacity. Babyzone Croydon has also developed a positive cross-borough relationship with Home-Start Sutton, whose practitioners visit to observe good practice and share learning around volunteer recruitment.

In Hammersmith and Fulham, Home-Start delivers the Birth and Beyond parenting course for expectant parents each term, helping families build confidence and form connections before their babies even arrive. This antenatal engagement supports smoother transitions into Babyzone once babies are born, helping families feel familiar, welcomed and supported from the earliest stages. Health visitors attend Birth and Beyond sessions to speak directly with expectant parents, ensuring families receive consistent messages, early health guidance and timely support in a trusted, community-based setting. Home-Start practitioners attend all Babyzone community events, maintaining strong relationships with families and other professionals.

In Wigan, Home-Start forms part of a larger regional service covering Salford, Wigan and Trafford, which currently limits capacity to deliver regular groups within Babyzone. Despite this, the partnership remains active and valued. Home-Start practitioners attend Babyzone community wellbeing days and outreach workers have attended alongside families they support. This approach ensures families already receiving Home-Start support can access Babyzone as an additional layer of community connection, early learning and peer support.

These partnerships reflect what Babyzone does best: meeting families where they are, building trust over time and connecting universal and targeted support in community spaces that feel welcoming and safe. By providing a neutral ground where Home-Start can reach families in a relaxed setting, we're helping more parents access the help they need without barriers or stigma.